weller



' 2 Sheets-Sheet 1". W. L. WELLER, Jr. 5 TIME RELEASING DEVICE FOR GRAVITY DOORS.

(No Model.)

Patented Sept. 19, 1893.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. L. WELLER, Jr

TIME RELEASING DEVICE FOR GRAVITY DOORS.

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UNITED STATES P TENT OFFICE.

IVILLIAM L. WELLER, JR., OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR TO THE TIME STOCK FEEDER COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

TIM E RELEASING DEVICE FOR G RAVITY-DOORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 505,41 5, dated September 19, 1893.

Application filed Febrnary 13, 1893 Serial No. 462,212. (No model.)

To wZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM L. WELLER, Jr., of Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented new 5 and useful Improvements in Automatic Releasing Devices for Gravity-Doors, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and

exact description.

[ This invention relates to improved means for operating gravity doors intended to be used in connection with an automatic stockfeeder, and is applicable to any device or apparatus in which it is desirable that the i doors may be permitted to drop by gravity at certain predetermined times.

The invention consists in certain features of detail construction hereinafter more fully pointed out, and specifically referred to in the claims. 7

In the annexed drawings similar letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the views, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation of a stock-feeder 2 5 to which my device is applied for purposes of illustration. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same, and Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views of the escapement devices intended to retain and release the doors at the predetermined times.

Referring to the drawings --A- is the end wall of a stable to which the invention is ap' plied; B- is the side wall; -'G is a 5 gravity doorsuspended by means of the catch -6- and lug -5-.

Extending entirely across the width of the space to be occupied by the gravity doors is a rod -4- upon which I provide lugs 5, which lugs are held on said rod by means of set-screws 5- passing through said lugs and bearing on the rod 4- to retain the lugs in posit-ion to coincide with the spring catches -6- secured to the inner side of the 5 door C- so that, as the doors --C- are raised to their proper elevation the spring catches will ride over the edge of the lug -5 and engage therewith, thus securing the door in its elevated position while the rod 50 4-- retains the position shown in the drawings.

At the left of the stall shown in the drawings is secured an ordinary alarm clock which has projecting laterally from it a lever -l2, while an angular extension of said lever on its inner end is in position to fall into a slot a. cut in the alarm dial of the clock when the said slot comes into coincidence with such angular extension.

The rod 4 is provided with an angular extension 7 which has a cord 8 secured to its free end, and said cord runs from thence to a weight 9- which is provided with a ring -10 which is adapted to fit over the free end of a lever 1lpivoted near its outer end where said weight is attached, and at the point where the weight hangsthe said lever is provided with aslight excision to better adapt it to hold said lever in position.

The lever 1lis provided at its inner end with a cut-away portion 11" so as to adapt it to rest in proper position under the outer end of the lever 12 projecting from the clock -13.

When the doors are in their elevated position the parts are in the position shown in the details of Figs. 4 and 5, in so far as relates to the securing devices and the tripping means.

The doors are held in an elevated position by the catch 6- engaging the lug 5 on the rod 4. While the rod 4 is provided with an angular extension 4 and a weight 4 on said extension to counterbalance the 8 5 weight of the doors hung on the lugs on said rod 4, thus preventing revolution of said rod 4 and releasement of the doors except at predetermined times when the weight 9 is released, the said weight 9 then being sufiicient to overbalance the weight 4 so as to turn the rod 4 on its axis and release the doors. All that is necessary to release the door -C is to bring the slot -a of the alarm disk of the clock into coincidence with the angular 5 portion of the lever l2, when the pressure upward on said lever 12- at its free end will force the inner end thereof to descend, the angular portion then passing into the slot a, whereupon the weight 9- will over- 10:) balance the weight of the inner portion of the lever -11, causing said weight to drop by gravity, at which time its full weight will be thrown onto the angular portion 7 of the rod -4 thereby causing said rod to turn on its axis, the weight 9 being considerably greater than the Weight at". Turning the rod -4 on its axis will cause the lugs 5 to be freed from engagement with the spring catches 6, whereupon the doors C will be released and will fall by gravity from their elevated position shown.

It will be apparent that the arrangement of the rod 4-, lugs 5 and spring catches --6 may be duplicated indefinitely, and by merelyincreasingtheweight4t to compensate for the increased weight of the added doors OC- the device may be used with a' series of doors to any desired extent.

It will be observed that the lugs 5 are secured in position on the rod 4-by means of set-screws 5 so that they may be slipped onto the rod 4 from the endas many as-may be required-and set in anydesired position to correspond to the location of the spring catches 6 on the doors.

The operation of my device is as follows: The clock-lever 12, trip -lever 11, weight 9 being set in the position shown in the detail at Fig. 4, the doors are then raised to their full elevation, where the springcatches-.6 will engage withthelug 5 on the rod 4, at which time said .rod is in. position shown in Fig. 2, ,with the Weight 4= and rod 4 horizontal with thetop of thestalls, the weight acting as a-counterbalance for the door C. The parts'will remain in this position until at a predetermined timetheslot-aofthe alarm disk of the clock, and the angular portion of the lever 12., will come into coincidence, when the parts will be tripped as before indicated and'the doors O Will be permitted to drop by gravity in their slides, thus exposing any part .of the apparatus theretoforehid by said doors;

Having described my invention, What I claim. as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is r 1. In an apparatus of the described class, a gravity door, a spring catch on said door, a balanced rocker-bar sustained in an elevated position in proximity to said door, a lug on said rocker-bar to engage said spring-catch, and a cranked extension of said rocker-bar normally sustained by a balance weight at the opposite end of said rocker bar, all combined substantially as specified.

2. In an apparatus of the described class, a gravity door, a spring-catch on the inner face of the said door, a balanced rocker-bar suspended in proximity to said door at its top edge, adjustable lugs projecting laterally from said bar in proximity to said springcatches, an angular extension of said rocking bar, a balance weight on said rocking bar, a second angular extension onthe opposite end of said bar, a cord extendingthenceto a Weight, as 9--, apivoted lever carrying said weight at its shorter end, a clock lever, as 12 projecting laterally from a clock an alarm clock, an alarm disk in said clock, and a'slot'in. said alarm disk adapted to come into coincidence with an angular portion of said lever--12 at certain predetermined times, all combined substantially as specified.

3. In an apparatus of the described class, a balanced rockingfbar, a cranked extension of the same at one end, a weight on said cranked extension, a lug projectinglaterally from said rocking-bar, a gravity spring, a door-catch on said door *engagingsaid lug, a second cranked extension at the opposite-end of said bar, an alarm clock, aclock-lever, as 12, a balanced lever normally held in positionby said clock-lever, a weight sustained by said balanced. lever, and a cord connecting said weight and the cranked extension of said rockingsbar, all'combined substantially asspecified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this Sthday of February, 1893.

WILLIAM L. WELLER, J R. Witnesses:

FREDERICK I-I. GIBBs, G. J. DREWRY. 

